Stawell Gift: Jack Hale and Stuart Rooke go head to head in first semi

Michael Gleeson

The crowd wants Jack Hale to win. The punters have long wanted Stuart Rooke to win. For either to win the Stawell Gift they are going to have to go past the other in the first semi-final on Monday just to make the final.

Hale, still just 17 and at school, ran an impressive time without running an impressive race on Saturday when he missed the start yet still won his heat by metres in one of the quickest times of the day.

Only one hundredth of a second separated the times for the pair in the heats with Hale running 12.33s from 3.25m to Rooke's 12.34s from 8.25m. The pair are drawn head to head in the first semi-final.

Rooke was the pre-race favourite after winning in Geelong in the lead-up and getting the reasonable mark of 8.25m.

"This is my fifth year at Stawell but I only started taking it seriously, properly last year and now I have been able to put two seasons together without injury. I had a run of eight hamstring tears before that," said the real estate agent from Beaumaris.

Rooke had to not only win his heat to make the semi, but defeat his brother Tim in the same race.

Advertisement

"It was the first time I've ever beaten him – he used to be a World Junior rep – and I've lived in his shadow and it was good for him to look at my behind for once", said Rooke.

"I can't believe they did that to me – it's good brotherly rivalry."

Last year's runner-up Luke Houlihan has also drawn that first semi-final.

The overall favourite heading into Monday is Queenslander Tjimarri Sanderson-Milera after running the quickest heat time (12.27s) on Saturday. He finished fifth in the final last year but believes he can go further this year.

"I don't pay too much attention to the betting but I have trained all season and I know coming in I am in my best form," Sanderson-Milera said.

He moved to Queensland from Adelaide to train with Brett Robinson and has improved with the lifestyle change.

"I have done a couple of beach sprints early in the season. I won two fastest men on sand comps up there," he said.

"I have knuckled down a bit and put my head in the game a lot more."

Carl Morehouse pulled a hamstring as he crossed the line in what was then the quickest time of the day. He has been drawn in the second-last semi but would seem almost certain to not take his place on the blocks having broken down in tears and needing to be consoled by his coach as he trudged disconsolately from Central Park.

In the women's gift, Ballarat teenager Talia Martin was the quickest through the heats in 13.70 sec.

Tierra Exum, the sister of basketballer Dante, and Sarah Blizzard are equal favourites with Martin.

National record holder Melissa Breen was able to make it through to the semi-finals after running second in her heat in 14.18s running from scratch.

"Obviously running pros you get multiple starts in the one day and that will help me for the Olympic trials next weekend," Breen said.